Maybe it’s because drama has a slightly different meaning these days, but I find it a difficult subject to discuss. Randomly ask a friend what they think of drama with no context and they’ll talk about the real life stuff. You know, the stress and headaches of being a living being that interacts with other living beings. There are days I wonder if the majority of people have no recollection that drama can also be a genre or at least part of a story. It’s a fairly broad category too since it could be considered more tool than stand alone genre. We tend to have it be second such as historical drama, cop drama, romantic drama, science fiction drama, comedic drama, etc. Makes it pretty hard to talk about since it’s so widespread.

Personally, I think drama is one of the best ways to evolve a character. These are your conflicts that range from personal to global because there are things at stake. People aren’t involved in drama when they are living a quiet life and that goes for the literary tool as well. So, you need it to push a story forward and get your characters to change. Most times this relates to relationships, which is that different from real life. The people we interact with cause us to change either through getting along or opposition forcing us to reevaluate our own views. This should be the same for our characters if we want them to be more relatable. I’ll go more into this on Wednesday with a 7 Tips post.

So, what do people think of drama in fiction? Is it possible to avoid it or is this the crux of conflict?

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About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.

24 Responses to Drama, Drama, Everywhere!

As you mentioned, drama is important to character development. I don’t think you can have a compelling story without drama. “Sam went to the store, bought eggs, then drove back home” is not as interesting as “Sam went to the store, looked around, then stole some eggs, and drove home.” While some drama might seem contrived, drama that originates because a character is a certain way is not contrived.

I can’t help thinking of Game of Thrones, which seems drama incarnate.

Looking at the lighter tone of some of the latest offerings–Thor Ragnarok and Justice League–I wonder if people are reacting more to the desire for more humor and characters who don’t seem as dour as, say, classic Batman. Life has so much drama these days as we can see in the news. So I wonder if people are wanting a break from some of the drama. I’m not sure. But drama is what drives me to read a book.

GoT would be taking it to the extreme. Seems there’s always a big twist.

There is a limit to comedy though. It’s the polar opposite of drama in ways. I’ve seen a lot of shows and movies that don’t really hit that balance. Not that you need it because you can go to the extreme for certain genres. Poor Batman and being seen as dour. Is it the classic though? West, Keaton, Kilmer, and the animated one had humor. Bale seemed to be the first moody one.

It would be nice to have less drama in real life, but I think it’s essential in a story. You don’t have to have loads of it all the time, but without some drama, the story will be so dull it will only ever be read by insomniacs seeking something to help them drift off to dreamland.

A story couldn’t exist without drama. I don’t want to read a story about two people walking down s sidewalk unless: they’re being followed, talking about the drama in their lives, etc… a story, even comedies, require some type of drama.

He definitely went very dark, but that seems to be what Frank Miller enjoys. I’ve liked his Batman, but I’ll admit that I always preferred the more common one with a slight sense of humor. That one came off as much human and relatable.

I’m with the commenter that said, no drama = no story. Staying home and watching the Olympics wouldn’t exactly make for a best seller. Add a home invasion, a few gallons of blood, and a passive homeowner with a secret and dark history and you may well be on your way.

If there was no drama at all, it would be a boring story. But of course, every reader has their own tolerance for drama. Too much can seem like wallowing. I do think that readers are pretty good at picking material that fits their taste as far as drama goes.

Probably. I have seen many people demonstrate a shrunken tolerance in recent years. So the drama in one’s life might affect that limit. A more stressed society could equal less drama reading, which explains a few conversations I’ve had over the last year.